NATCHEZ — A federal jury awarded more than $370,000 in damages Friday to the white school principal who alleged black Natchez-Adams School District administrators racially targeted her, created a hostile work environment and ultimately forced her to resign.

“I just thank these jurors for righting a wrong,” an emotional plaintiff Cindy Idom said after the verdict was rendered.

Idom’s attorney Ken Adcock said he believes the verdict sends a message.

“There was a policy and a practice of race discrimination in the Natchez-Adams County School District,” he said. “Hopefully this sets a pattern for change.”

The jury — composed of three black women, two black men and three white men — awarded Idom $371,737 in compensatory damages for breach of contract, racial discrimination, violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Of that judgment, $271,737 was rendered against the Natchez-Adams County School District for breach of contract, lost wages and back pay due to Idom. The other $100,000 of the award was split between Superintendent Frederick Hill at $75,000 and Assistant Superintendent Tanisha Smith at $25,000.

The verdict came on the fifth day of the trial. In previous days, Idom and others — including former Natchez High School Principal Cleveland Moore and former School Improvement Coordinator Bettye Bell, both of whom are black —  testified district officials targeted white principals with higher scrutiny than black principals and were dismissive of and openly badgered the white principals.

The school district officials testified their relationships with all principals were normal.

Idom submitted her resignation as principal of Frazier Elementary School shortly after she was transferred there against her wishes in 2013, having previously served 11 years as principal at West Elementary School.

She told the court Hill called her into his office in July of that year — approximately a week after starting at Frazier — and told her she would no longer be offered a principal’s position, but could take a position as a teacher.

The grounds for the apparent demotion were the preliminary results of school accountability scores for West Elementary, which were predicted to be failing, she said.

West, which prior to the 2012-2013 school year had been a pre-K and kindergarten-only school, had never been subject to accountability testing.

Hill maintained throughout the trial he had not demoted Idom that day, though he had told her she could be subject to firing when the scores were finalized later that year. He had sent out a memo to all of the principals in the district earlier in the year saying it was a possibility.

In his closing arguments, Adcock told the jury five black principals or assistant principals from failing schools retained their jobs or were promoted, while Idom was the only one subject to removal.

School accountability scores were a “pretext,” he said, pointing to Idom’s testimony she never received a written contract for the 2013-2014 school year even though the school board had approved her for one.

“(Hill) intended to fire her all the time,” Adcock said.

Tucker Mitchell, the attorney representing Hill, Smith and the district, said the testimony given earlier in the week was from obviously disgruntled employees.

Moore was assigned to a new position within the district prior even to the end of the school year after benchmark tests — which predict accountability test scores — showed Natchez High School had no hope of passing, Mitchell said.

That itself could demonstrate race was not a factor in making administrative changes, he said, and the decision was made before test scores came in.

“Race is not, in my view, an issue in this case,” Mitchell said.

“I hope we have made the case that Dr. Hill and Dr. Smith were out to improve that ‘F’ rating, working for the children of this district, and that’s what this is all about.”

Mitchell also appealed to Smith’s demeanor and testimony on the stand.

“I can’t imagine her inflicting pain on anybody,” he said. “She’s a polite lady.”

In his charge to the jury, Adcock told them this was their opportunity to “make a difference.”

“Race discrimination is wrong, it is illegal and immoral,” he said. “It does matter, and you matter. Correct this unequal matter — you can make Adams County follow the laws of this country.”

If jurors didn’t vote in favor of Idom, Adcock said, “the Natchez-Adams School District will continue with race discrimination, and fast Freddie Hill will continue in his conduct.”

The jury deliberated for approximately three hours and 20 minutes over the course of two sessions before announcing its verdict.

Hill and Smith immediately left the courtroom after the verdict was announced.

Hill and Mitchell could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon. A school district spokesman likewise could not be reached for comment.